Skillset becomes Stonewall Diversity Champion
Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the Creative Media Industries, has joined Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme which promotes equality in the workplace for lesbian, gay and bisexual employees. Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme brings together the UK's top employers to promote diversity in the workplace.
Stonewall Diversity Champions develop best practice, discuss what works and what doesn't, work to understand the issues faced by employees and service users and explore the impact of best practice on markets and business. Some of the benefits of becoming a diversity champion are:
- people are more productive when they are happy and can be themselves
- prejudice can increase staff turnover which effects bottom-line costs
- harassment based on sexual orientation is against the law
- reputation and brand can benefit
- in a tight labour market organisations need the widest choice of employees and to retain them
Dinah Caine, Chief Executive of Skillset, said: ‘One of Skillset's key strategic objectives is to increase diversity throughout the creative media industries so it is very important that we practice what we preach. We value our staff whatever their sexuality, gender, race, age or disability and we know our staff will be more productive because of this. It's the right thing to do but it also makes business sense, that's why we've become a Stonewall Diversity Champion."
Other Stonewall Diversity Champions include Accenture, BT, Rolls Royce plc, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ford, Barnardo's and the Metropolitan Police. Skillset has also recently applied for the ‘Positive about Disabled People' kitemark.
For further information on the programme visit: Stonewall
ENDS
SKILLSET PRESS OFFICE020 7713 9812
Notes to Editor
- Skillset is the Sector Skills Council for the Creative Media Industries covering Broadcast, Film, Video, Interactive Media and Photo Imaging. Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are licensed by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and by Ministers in the devolved administrations to tackle the skills and productivity challenge by sector. SSCs are independent, UK wide organisations developed by groups of influential employers in industry or business sectors of economic or strategic significance. SSCs are employer-led and actively involve trade unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders in the sector.
